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02-04-2014, 04:14 AM
I'm 78, he's 39 but the age gap doesn't affect things in the bedroom! Real life cougars reveal what it's like to date a man half their age
Divorced grandmother, Edna Martin, said it was 'love at first sight' when she met husband Simon
She was nearly 70 at the time and he was 30
He said age gap doesn't affect their sex life as they're 'at it like rabbits'
Joan Lloyd, 68, has a toy boy in partner Phil, 29
They met via Facebook
She said: 'I love him to bits and we get on so well'
But she once felt insecure about him leaving her for younger woman
Edna worried Simon would regret not being able to have children with her
By LUCY WATERLOW
PUBLISHED: 15:02 GMT, 3 February 2014 | UPDATED: 16:12 GMT, 3 February 2014
Edna Martin is 78 year old pensioner who loves knitting, organ music - and a toy boy half her age.
The divorced grandmother from Weston-super-Mare met husband Simon, 39, through their shared passion for organ music and they both agree it was 'love at first sight'.
The couple have made headlines around the world due to their 39 year age gap and now they are sharing their story in a new Channel 5 documentary.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/03/article-2550940-1B2C7FEC00000578-794_634x422.jpg
39 year age gap: Edna and Simon Martin couldn't be happier
Edna's children are all older than Simon, who was a 30-year-old who had never kissed a girl and was still living with his parents in Birmingham when they first met.
He admits: 'I did like ladies but I hadn't had any success in any way.'
That all changed when he met Edna, who was nearly 70 at the time. They snuck off from an organ recital to share their first kiss under the pier and have been inseparable ever since.
'I can't imagine being without Simon, he's the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night,' Edna said.
Edna admitted their age gap 'doesn't affect things in the bedroom', while Simon jokes they are 'at it like rabbits.' He added: 'You have to have a sense of humour about sex as it's a ridiculous thing anyway.'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/03/article-2550940-1B2C805E00000578-236_634x384.jpg
Toy boy: Joan, 68, and Phil, 29, met through Facebook
But despite their active sex life, there will never be children. Something that Edna feared could have kept them apart.
'I told him to leave me because it would mean he couldn't have children - but thank god he didn't,' she said.
Edna needs a walking aid to get around and she said her lack of mobility can be frustrating. But Simon says it doesn't bother him and he doesn't notice the physical differences in their ages, nor worries that he could face decades without his true love.
He explains: 'I have physically disabilities which mean my body has aged faster than someone else my age. So I will probably have a shorter life span. We'll just keep going as long as we can.'
While their union may be unusual, it is not unique, as the Channel 5 documentary also shares the story of pensioner Joan Lloyd, 68, who has had a relationship with Phil Absolom, 29 for the past 18 months.
'I wanted to be with someone who make me laugh and didn't make me feel like I'm older'
The couple live together in Abergele, North Wales, after meeting via Facebook.
Joan had been married to her husband, David, for 50 years and they had four children together. When he died of cancer four years ago, he made her promise to keep living her life to the full and not become a lonely widow.
She explains: 'On his death bed he told me to get new boobs and a lovely toy boy. He told me, "I'll be looking down on you smiling, saying good for you Joan". He made me write it down in front of him and sign it.'
Joan fulfilled her husband's dying wishes by getting a breast enlargement and went online to seek a new man.
She said: 'I get on with young people so I wanted a toy boy. I was going for someone who would make me laugh and not make me feel like I'm older. I went on Facebook and got 700 messages from guys but they weren't what I wanted.'
However, she was then contacted by Phil.
He said: 'When I first saw picture I was attracted to her so I sent her a message and it started from there.'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/03/article-2550940-1B2C81E200000578-97_306x463.jpg
In love: Both pensioners say being with a younger man makes them feel young and happy
Joan said: 'I thought, he's gorgeous, I wouldn't mind him.'
The couple went on a date and hit it off instantly.
'My legs were like jelly I thought, "he's the one I'm having,"' Joan recalls.
Now she says they can't keep their hands off each other. 'We do a lot of kissing and cuddling. I do like having sex with him and he does as much as he can,' she said. 'I love him to bits and we get on so well.'
Joan said she likes to try and stay young for Phil by exercising daily and using sunbeds as she believes a tan gives her a youthful look.
She also likes to dress in 'sexy style clothes'. She explains: 'I like young stuff. People will say you are too old to wear something like that leave it to the younger people but that's not how I feel. I don't want to look like mutton dressed as lamb but if I can dress young and it looks nice I'm me, I'll buy it.'
The pensioner admits her desire to hold back the years is part insecurity over Phil leaving her for a younger woman, particularly if he wants to start a family.
'I liked her straight away but I was only 16, she was 45 I never thought in a million years that was going to happen'
But he assured her: 'It costs half a million to bring up a kid today. Think what I could do with that.'
She also found reassurance from his mother who was surprisingly content about her son dating a woman more than twice his age.
'I was insecure I kept thinking he would leave me. But I spoke to his mum and she told me she had never seen him so much in love and that I shouldn't worry,' Joan said.
Phil added that his mother is happy he found Joan as he needs constant support because he has epilepsy.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/03/article-2550940-1B2C81A000000578-729_634x875.jpg
Caused controversy: Marilyn first met husband William when he was 16 and she was 45
He said: 'My previous relationship with girls my own age were terrible because they said they could handle my epilepsy but deep down they couldn't. They would panic if I had a bad fit. If I haven't met someone like Joan I would have been single for the rest of my life. My mum is glad Joan looks after me.'
But another couple featured on the show haven't had as much understanding from friends and family because of the difference in their years.
Marilyn, 53, from West Sussex, met her husband William Buttigieg, 24, when he was only 16 as he was a friend of the family.
She was a 45-year-old mother at the time who was struggling with the symptoms of ME.
William said: 'I liked her straight away but I was only 16, she was 45 I never thought in a million years that was going to happen.'
However, one day when William was visiting the family he went to see Marilyn to check she was ok when she was having a lie down because of her condition and a kiss 'just happened.'
The pair soon became an item and Marilyn said she had no regrets despite the shock it caused to their friends and family.
She said: '16 is a legal age. Men have been doing it for generations and getting away with it.'
She added that William was mature for his age and not like other 16-year-olds. He has certainly had to grow up fast thanks to the relationship which has led to him facing taunts and even once being physically attacked.
He said: 'Quickly my friends all disappeared, they all turned their backs on me. It was like society rejected us. It was like we had a disease and people would catch it.'
Marilyn added: 'People used to shout at him "granny shagger" and make nasty comments to me saying it's dirty and wrong. A few times we've had to call the police. Once some men set upon him.'
The couple - like the others featured in the documentary - wish people would be more understanding and accepting of their love.
'We are just two normal people who fell in love with each other - just with an age gap,' Marilyn said.
She's 78, He's 39: Age Gap Love is on Channel 5 Tuesday 4 February at 9pm
Divorced grandmother, Edna Martin, said it was 'love at first sight' when she met husband Simon
She was nearly 70 at the time and he was 30
He said age gap doesn't affect their sex life as they're 'at it like rabbits'
Joan Lloyd, 68, has a toy boy in partner Phil, 29
They met via Facebook
She said: 'I love him to bits and we get on so well'
But she once felt insecure about him leaving her for younger woman
Edna worried Simon would regret not being able to have children with her
By LUCY WATERLOW
PUBLISHED: 15:02 GMT, 3 February 2014 | UPDATED: 16:12 GMT, 3 February 2014
Edna Martin is 78 year old pensioner who loves knitting, organ music - and a toy boy half her age.
The divorced grandmother from Weston-super-Mare met husband Simon, 39, through their shared passion for organ music and they both agree it was 'love at first sight'.
The couple have made headlines around the world due to their 39 year age gap and now they are sharing their story in a new Channel 5 documentary.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/03/article-2550940-1B2C7FEC00000578-794_634x422.jpg
39 year age gap: Edna and Simon Martin couldn't be happier
Edna's children are all older than Simon, who was a 30-year-old who had never kissed a girl and was still living with his parents in Birmingham when they first met.
He admits: 'I did like ladies but I hadn't had any success in any way.'
That all changed when he met Edna, who was nearly 70 at the time. They snuck off from an organ recital to share their first kiss under the pier and have been inseparable ever since.
'I can't imagine being without Simon, he's the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night,' Edna said.
Edna admitted their age gap 'doesn't affect things in the bedroom', while Simon jokes they are 'at it like rabbits.' He added: 'You have to have a sense of humour about sex as it's a ridiculous thing anyway.'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/03/article-2550940-1B2C805E00000578-236_634x384.jpg
Toy boy: Joan, 68, and Phil, 29, met through Facebook
But despite their active sex life, there will never be children. Something that Edna feared could have kept them apart.
'I told him to leave me because it would mean he couldn't have children - but thank god he didn't,' she said.
Edna needs a walking aid to get around and she said her lack of mobility can be frustrating. But Simon says it doesn't bother him and he doesn't notice the physical differences in their ages, nor worries that he could face decades without his true love.
He explains: 'I have physically disabilities which mean my body has aged faster than someone else my age. So I will probably have a shorter life span. We'll just keep going as long as we can.'
While their union may be unusual, it is not unique, as the Channel 5 documentary also shares the story of pensioner Joan Lloyd, 68, who has had a relationship with Phil Absolom, 29 for the past 18 months.
'I wanted to be with someone who make me laugh and didn't make me feel like I'm older'
The couple live together in Abergele, North Wales, after meeting via Facebook.
Joan had been married to her husband, David, for 50 years and they had four children together. When he died of cancer four years ago, he made her promise to keep living her life to the full and not become a lonely widow.
She explains: 'On his death bed he told me to get new boobs and a lovely toy boy. He told me, "I'll be looking down on you smiling, saying good for you Joan". He made me write it down in front of him and sign it.'
Joan fulfilled her husband's dying wishes by getting a breast enlargement and went online to seek a new man.
She said: 'I get on with young people so I wanted a toy boy. I was going for someone who would make me laugh and not make me feel like I'm older. I went on Facebook and got 700 messages from guys but they weren't what I wanted.'
However, she was then contacted by Phil.
He said: 'When I first saw picture I was attracted to her so I sent her a message and it started from there.'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/03/article-2550940-1B2C81E200000578-97_306x463.jpg
In love: Both pensioners say being with a younger man makes them feel young and happy
Joan said: 'I thought, he's gorgeous, I wouldn't mind him.'
The couple went on a date and hit it off instantly.
'My legs were like jelly I thought, "he's the one I'm having,"' Joan recalls.
Now she says they can't keep their hands off each other. 'We do a lot of kissing and cuddling. I do like having sex with him and he does as much as he can,' she said. 'I love him to bits and we get on so well.'
Joan said she likes to try and stay young for Phil by exercising daily and using sunbeds as she believes a tan gives her a youthful look.
She also likes to dress in 'sexy style clothes'. She explains: 'I like young stuff. People will say you are too old to wear something like that leave it to the younger people but that's not how I feel. I don't want to look like mutton dressed as lamb but if I can dress young and it looks nice I'm me, I'll buy it.'
The pensioner admits her desire to hold back the years is part insecurity over Phil leaving her for a younger woman, particularly if he wants to start a family.
'I liked her straight away but I was only 16, she was 45 I never thought in a million years that was going to happen'
But he assured her: 'It costs half a million to bring up a kid today. Think what I could do with that.'
She also found reassurance from his mother who was surprisingly content about her son dating a woman more than twice his age.
'I was insecure I kept thinking he would leave me. But I spoke to his mum and she told me she had never seen him so much in love and that I shouldn't worry,' Joan said.
Phil added that his mother is happy he found Joan as he needs constant support because he has epilepsy.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/03/article-2550940-1B2C81A000000578-729_634x875.jpg
Caused controversy: Marilyn first met husband William when he was 16 and she was 45
He said: 'My previous relationship with girls my own age were terrible because they said they could handle my epilepsy but deep down they couldn't. They would panic if I had a bad fit. If I haven't met someone like Joan I would have been single for the rest of my life. My mum is glad Joan looks after me.'
But another couple featured on the show haven't had as much understanding from friends and family because of the difference in their years.
Marilyn, 53, from West Sussex, met her husband William Buttigieg, 24, when he was only 16 as he was a friend of the family.
She was a 45-year-old mother at the time who was struggling with the symptoms of ME.
William said: 'I liked her straight away but I was only 16, she was 45 I never thought in a million years that was going to happen.'
However, one day when William was visiting the family he went to see Marilyn to check she was ok when she was having a lie down because of her condition and a kiss 'just happened.'
The pair soon became an item and Marilyn said she had no regrets despite the shock it caused to their friends and family.
She said: '16 is a legal age. Men have been doing it for generations and getting away with it.'
She added that William was mature for his age and not like other 16-year-olds. He has certainly had to grow up fast thanks to the relationship which has led to him facing taunts and even once being physically attacked.
He said: 'Quickly my friends all disappeared, they all turned their backs on me. It was like society rejected us. It was like we had a disease and people would catch it.'
Marilyn added: 'People used to shout at him "granny shagger" and make nasty comments to me saying it's dirty and wrong. A few times we've had to call the police. Once some men set upon him.'
The couple - like the others featured in the documentary - wish people would be more understanding and accepting of their love.
'We are just two normal people who fell in love with each other - just with an age gap,' Marilyn said.
She's 78, He's 39: Age Gap Love is on Channel 5 Tuesday 4 February at 9pm